For Parents and Carers of children with Special Educational Needs
SEN information report for Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School 2022/2023
Part of the Norfolk Local Offer for Learners with SEN
Introduction
Welcome to our SEN information report which is part of the Norfolk Local Offer for learners with Special Educational Needs (SEN). All governing bodies of maintained schools and maintained nursery schools have a legal duty to publish information on their website about the implementation of the governing body’s policy for pupils with SEN. The information published will be updated annually.
At Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School we are committed to working together with all members of our school community. This local offer has been produced with pupils, parents/carers, governors, and members of staff. We would welcome your feedback and future involvement in the review of our offer, so please do contact us. The people to contact this year are:
SEN Governor: Hannah Collison-Smith
SENCO: Devon Ainley
If you think your child may have special educational needs please speak to their class teacher first, or contact Devon Ainley, our SENCO on 01603 406406. Alternatively, you could look on the Norfolk Local Offer website for ‘frequently asked questions’ about the SEND Local Offer.
Our Approach to Teaching Learners with SEN
At Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School we believe in participation for all. We want all adults and children to participate in learning and we celebrate all members of our community. We want to create an inclusive culture in our school and we aim to be responsive to the diversity of children’s backgrounds, interests, experience, knowledge and skills.
We value high quality teaching for all learners and actively monitor teaching and learning in the school.
We aim to create a learning environment which is flexible enough to meet the needs of all members of our school community. We monitor progress of all learners, and staff continually assess, ensuring that learning is taking place. Our whole school system for monitoring progress includes regular pupil progress meetings, where discussions on individual pupil progress are held between the class teacher, the Head Teacher, and SENCO.
At Sparhawk Infant and Nursery we value:
Learing for all
Our Sparhawk Local Offer can be viewed below:
How we identify SEND
At different times in their school career, a child or young person may have a special educational need. The SEND Code of Practice defines SEN as:
“A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they:
(a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age: or
(b) have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions.”
To view the whole SEN Code of Practice document please follow the link here.
If a learner is identified as having SEN, we will provide provision that is ‘additional to or different from’ the normal differentiated curriculum, intended to overcome the barrier to their learning.
Learners can find barriers to their learning for all sorts of reasons. They may have been absent from school or they may have attended lots of different schools and not had a consistent opportunity to learn. They may be worried about different things that distract them from learning.
At Sparhawk we are committed to ensuring that all learners have access to learning opportunities, and for those who are at risk of not learning, we will intervene. This does not mean that all vulnerable learners have SEN. Only those with a learning difficulty that requires special educational provision will be identified as having SEN.
Our current SEN profile for 2022-23 shows that we have 13.7% of children (28 pupils) identified as having SEN, and 3 children have an Education Health and Care Plan.
Assessing SEN at Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School
Class teachers, support staff, parents/carers and the learner themselves will be among the first to notice a difficulty with learning. At Sparhawk we ensure that assessment of educational needs directly involves the learner, their parents/carer and, of course, their teacher. The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) will also support with the identification of barriers to learning. We have a range of assessment tools available, and our updated tool kit, which we share with our cluster of schools includes diagnostic tests for reading, spelling, vocabulary, maths, working memory, logic, communication and language and self-esteem.
For some learners we may want to seek advice from specialist teams. In our School and Cluster we have access to various specialist services universally provided by Norfolk County Council, which are described on the Local Offer website: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/children-and-families/send-local-offer
At Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School we work closely with a locally registered Educational Psychologist to help us understand and support the learners at our school. This work is bespoke to specific children and is provided as needed. We also employ teaching assistants who work alongside class teachers to deliver and support interventions in the provision map as co-ordinated by our SENCO. At Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School we also use the services of CEPP (Child and Education Psychology Practice) and Education Psychology and Specialist Support for Norfolk (EPSS). This allows us to seek advice and support from Educational Psychologists and Specialist Teachers.
At Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School we meet regularly with other schools within the Sprowston Cluster so we can learn from each other, and demonstrate what we offer for learners with SEN. We are also able to promote consistent practice across all the schools in our cluster ensuring equality of opportunity.
The school Head Teacher and SENCO have also visited local special schools and Specialist Resource Bases (SRBs) to share experiences and get advice. The visits also allow Sparhawk to have a better understanding of what the local Special Schools offer which allows us to offer advice to parents of children with SEND who may be considering a special school place for their child.
At Sparhawk we have offered a range of training opportunities to all staff, which has supported the learning and progress of all our children (including children with SEND). These have included:
Medical conditions training
Precision Teaching
Speech, Language and Communication Needs
Autism Spectrum Disorder/Condition
Signing
SEND Code of Practice
Occupational Therapy
Emotion Coaching
Neurodiversity
Emotional Literacy Support
Lego Based Therapy
Nuffield Early Language Intervention
What we do to support learners with SEN at Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School
Every teacher is required to adapt the curriculum to ensure access to learning for all children in their class. The Teacher Standards 2012 detail the expectations on all teachers, and we at Sparhawk are proud of our teachers and their development. Our teachers will use various strategies to adapt access to the curriculum, this might include using:
- Visual and Personalised timetables
- Social stories
- Additional staffing and support
- Communication aids
- Specific resources e.g. Numicon, visuals, emotional support tools
- Positive behaviour rewards system
Each learner identified as having SEN is entitled to support that is ‘additional to or different from’ a normal differentiated curriculum. The type of support is dependent on the individual learning needs, and is intended to enable access to learning which overcomes the barrier to learning identified. This support is described on a provision map; this does not detail the individual learner names, but describes the interventions and actions that we undertake at Sparhawk to support learners with SEN across the year groups. We modify the provision map regularly, and it changes every year as our learners and their needs change.
All children with a high level of need have a ‘one page profile’. This document identifies the child’s strengths and needs, and also what strategies can be used to support the child. These are created alongside staff, parents and the child. An example of a one page profile can be seen below.
Example of a one page profile at Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School
At Sparhawk we also use the ‘Graduated Approach’, as identified in the SEND Code of Practice. We use this as a cycle of ‘Asses, Plan, Do, Review’. Children’s needs are identified, a plan is created to help support a child with their identified needs, the plan is shared with parents and staff (children where appropriate) and finally reviewed to assess whether the new intervention or strategy is successful. An example of the ‘Asses, Plan, Do, Review’ form used can be seen below
At Sparhawk we also have half-termly SENCO meetings. Here teachers will discuss children with the school SENCO. This will include discussing the child’s area of need and their barriers to learning, what provisions and strategies have already been tried (and impact) and what the plan will be moving forward. Children who are not on the SEND record, but making low attainment or low progress, will also be discussed during these meetings. This will allow teachers and the SENCO to track progress and make informed decisions as to whether a child could possibly be have SEN. An example template of a child’s individual learning plan used can be seen below:
At Sparhawk we also have termly ‘Time to Talk’ meetings, which allows parents to meet with children and discuss progress and any strategies that are being used to support children at school.
Funding for SEN
Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School receives funding directly to the school from the Local Authority to support the needs of learners with SEN. This is described in a SEN memorandum. The total budget of funding we received for 2022-23 is £56,803. We also access SEND Top Up Funding of £16,553, which we apply direct to Norfolk County Council to.
How do we find out if this support is effective?
Monitoring progress is an integral part of teaching and leadership within Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School. Parents/carers, pupils and staff are involved in reviewing the impact of interventions for learners with SEN. We follow the ‘assess, plan, do, review’ model and ensure that parents/carers and children are involved in each step. Before any additional provision is selected, the SENCO, teacher, parent/carer and learner, all agree what they expect to be different following this intervention. A baseline will also be recorded, which can be used to compare the impact of the provision.
Children, parents/carers and their teaching and support staff will be directly involved in reviewing progress. This review can be built in to the intervention itself, or it can be a formal meeting held at least once a term, where we all discuss progress and next steps. If a learner has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHC plan,) the same termly review conversations take place, but the EHC plan will also be formally reviewed annually (and in early years cases, every 6 months).
The SENCO collates the impact data of interventions, to ensure that we are only using interventions that work. Intervention data is shared with the Sprowston cluster, so all SENCOs in our cluster are able to select high quality provision.
Progress data of all learners is collated by the whole school and monitored by teachers, senior leaders and governors. We are also part of the Sprowston cluster moderation group so can ensure that our judgements stand up to scrutiny. Our school and cluster data is also monitored by the Local Authority and Ofsted.
We listen to our children’s views. When creating children’s one page profiles and offering support we always consider the children’s views. The image below shows what children think about support from adults at Sparhawk.
Other opportunities for learning
All learners should have the same opportunity to access extra-curricular activities. At Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School in 2022-23 we are offering a range of additional clubs and activities for all children.
We also offer support workshop for parents on a range of topics, such as mental health, phonics, SEN and parents are informed about these each half term when new sign up lists are issued.
We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to ensure participation for all, so please contact the school office to make an appointment to discuss with the head-teacher/SENCO for more information.
All staff at Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School have regular training on the Equality Act 2010. This legislation places specific duties on schools, settings and providers including the duty not to discriminate, harass or victimise a child or adult linked to a protected characteristic defined in the Equality Act and to make ‘reasonable adjustments.’
The Equality Act 210 definition of disability is:
“A person has a disability for the purposes of this Act if (s)he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to day activities.”
Section 1(1) Disability Discrimination Act 1995
This definition of disability in the Equality Act includes children with long term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, and cancer. Children and young people with such conditions do not necessarily have SEN, but there is a significant overlap between disabled children and young people and those with SEN. Children and young people may therefore be covered by both SEN and disability legislation. Our school has an Accessibility Plan, which can be viewed by clicking here. This is a plan to ensure children with disabilities can access the curriculum and resources at Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School.
At Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School we have 9 core values, which are used daily, and a part of everything we do:
Using these core values we are able to ensure all children have the same opportunities and are treated equally.
Preparing for the next step
Transition is a part of life for all learners. This can be transition to a new class in school; having a new teacher; or moving on to another school. Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School is committed to working in partnership with children, families and other providers to ensure positive transitions occur. Planning for transition is a part of our provision for all learners with SEN. Moving class will be discussed with you and your child at their summer term review meeting. Transition to junior schools will be discussed in the autumn term of Year 2, with a follow up meeting in the spring and summer terms, to ensure time for planning and preparation.
Have your say
Sparhawk Infant and Nursery School is our community school. We can shape and develop provision for all of our learners ensuring achievement for all. This SEN report declares our annual offer to learners with SEN, but to be effective it needs the views of all parents/carers, learners, governors and staff. So please engage with our annual process to ‘assess plan, do and review’ provision for SEN.
Useful links
A useful link to find information around local services available for children with SEN.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education
The Department for Education is responsible for education and and children’s services. A useful website for SEN reforms and policies, but also for all educational reforms, policies and expected standards.
www.norfolkparentpartnership.org.uk
The Norfolk SEND Partnership offers information, support and advice to children, young people and parents/carers about special educational needs and disabilities. They are a small central team, with trained volunteers throughout the county.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25 (Code Of Practice:0-25 years)
A link to the 2014 SEN Code of Practice. One of the main aims of this new document was to put SEN children and their families at the heart of all decisions and processes. This is a large document, but Chapter 6 is of particular relevance to children in an Infant School.
Information Report review: November 2022
Information Report to be reviewed: November 2023
Appendix
Throughout this report various acronyms are referred to. When first used a definition is always provided. For clarity, a list of all acronyms used (and meanings), are detailed below.
SEN: Special Educational Needs
SEND: Special Educational Needs or disabilities
IEP: Individual Education Plan
SENCO: Special Educational Needs Coordinator
ASD: Autistic Spectrum Disorder
SALT: Speech and Language Therapy
EHCP: Education, Health and Care Plan
S2S: School to School Support
SATS: Standard Assessment Tests
